(almost) summer bikin’

On my way home from work today I ran smack into a great reminder of how much I love Portland in the summer:

(the Salmon Street fountain and the general revelry it attracts:)

What this picture can’t show you, of course, is the sound of live music coming from the Rose Festival further down the river, or the laughter from the kids in the fountain, the cheers of the people watching some of the festival rides, the smell of food and fresh air. It’s a picture, but it doesn’t add up to the full picture.

But I love love love this season when everyone comes outside, when kids run around like maniacs, when free concerts in the parks start up, when you can go see a movie projected outside in Pioneer Square every week, when it stays light for what seems like forever and everyone shakes off any last vestiges of weather-related gloom and eats outside, says hello to neighbors on porches, tends their veggies and roses.